Chairs and seats – Detachable supplemental flexible pad or cover – Having elongated flexible free-end securing means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-07
2001-09-18
Nelson, Jr., Milton (Department: 3624)
Chairs and seats
Detachable supplemental flexible pad or cover
Having elongated flexible free-end securing means
C297SDIG006
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290293
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to seat cushions, and more particularly, to a seat cushion assembly having a plurality of fastening straps attached to a cushion member and a strap securing member which generally preclude undesirable movement and/or slippage of the cushion member when associated with a sitting surface, such as a chair or stool. The seat cushion assembly is also configured to substantially preclude inadvertent tearing of one or more of the fastening straps during normal use of the same.
2. Background Art
Seat cushions have been known in the art for years and have been the subject of numerous United States Patents, including: U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,333 entitled “Seat Cushion;” U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,815 entitled “Convertible Pillow/Chair Pad;” U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,047 entitled “Support Cushion;” U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,696 entitled “Cushion For A Chair, Especially A Detachable Cushion For A Child's Seat;” U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,552 entitled “Cushion For Removable Attachment To Platforms Of Boats Or The Like;” U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,320 entitled “Chair Frame And Cushion Assembly;” U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,878 entitled “Apparatus And Method For Deterring Slippage Of A Slip Cover Or Cushion Placed On Furniture;” and U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,396 entitled “Tie Down For Rotating Seat Cushions.” Furthermore, numerous mechanisms for fastening a seat cushion to a chair are likewise well known. For example, some permanent fastening mechanisms include sewing, stapling, taping, and/or gluing the seat cushion directly to the sitting surface of the chair. While such fastening mechanisms have been readily used, their permanency can be problematic during, for example, remodeling. In addition, permanently secured seat cushions can not be readily cleaned in a conventional washing machine; instead they must be cleaned with an extractor while being secured to the chair. As such, permanently fastened seat cushions are not always desirous.
Seat cushions comprising non-permanent or detachable fastening mechanisms are also known and primarily include two pair of straps or tie downs, which are generally knotted to back support dowels of a chair to secure the seat cushion in place. While tie down or strapping mechanisms associated with support dowels provide a user with the ability to remove the cushion for cleaning and/or remodeling, they are only secured on one side, thereby leaving them generally free to shuffle, shift, pivot, twist and/or otherwise move. Such movement can not only be problematic or an annoyance to a user, but, over time, can hasten tearing of the support straps.
It is therefore an object of the present invention, to provide a seat cushion that, among other things, remedies the aforementioned detriments and/or complications associated with the use of conventional seat cushions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a seat cushion assembly releasably securable to a chair comprising: (a) a cushion member having an upper surface for receiving an occupant and a lower surface opposite the upper surface for engaging the chair; (b) at least three straps fastened to the cushion member; and (c) a strap securing member fastenable to a bottom surface of the chair configured to releasably secure the at least three straps, and in turn, substantially preclude movement of the cushion upon the chair.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the at least three straps are securable to the strap securing member substantially in the absence of angular strain, to in turn, substantially minimize tearing of one or more of the at least three straps from the cushion member. In this embodiment the seat cushion preferably comprises four straps.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, two of the at least three straps are fastened to the cushion member at opposite sides so that, upon fastening to the strap securing member, the two straps form a substantially linear strip along the bottom surface of the chair.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the invention, the at least three straps are secured to the strap securing member by a loop and hook fastener and the strap securing member is fastenable to the bottom surface of the chair by adhesive tape. In this embodiment the strap securing member may be substantially rectangular and/or comprise regions that are substantially linear to the at least three straps.
The present invention is further directed to a seat cushion assembly releasably securable to a chair comprising: (a) a cushion member having an upper surface for receiving an occupant and a lower surface opposite the upper surface for engaging the chair; (b) four straps fastenable to the cushion member, wherein two of the four straps are fastened at opposite sides of the cushion member; and (c) a strap securing member fastenable to a bottom surface of the chair configured to releasably secure the four straps, and in turn, substantially preclude movement of the base upon the chair.
The present invention is also directed to a chair having a releasably secured seat cushion assembly comprising: (a) at least one leg; (b) a substantially horizontal occupant support member having a sitting surface and a bottom surface opposite the sitting surface; and (c) a seat cushion assembly comprising: (1) a cushion member having an upper surface for receiving an occupant and a lower surface opposite the upper surface positioned upon the sitting surface of the chair; (2) a strap securing member fastened to the bottom surface of the chair; and (3) at least three straps fastened the cushion member at a first end and releasably secured to the strap securing member at a second end to, in turn, substantially preclude movement of the seat cushion upon the chair.
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Long Darlene
Long John F.
Pena Joe A.
Pena Michelle
Factor & Partners LLC
Jr. Milton Nelson
Sit On Us
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